


Episode 45: Fallstra-II

by PitoyaPTx



Series: Clan Meso'a [45]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Clan Ordo, Gen, Mandalorian, Mandalorian Clan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:48:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22652020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PitoyaPTx/pseuds/PitoyaPTx
Summary: "How come you get to pry but we don't?" ~MaceonWhile the rest of the gang settles down for the night, Beon and Maceon have another heart-to-heart.
Series: Clan Meso'a [45]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1261364
Kudos: 3





	Episode 45: Fallstra-II

Fallstra-II -- a long, rectangular ship with two side cannons, a cockpit-operated retractable belly turret, and two triangular wings angled backwards-- was split between two front levels and a spacious cargo bay that occupied the majority of the back half. The upper front level was divided into three main sections: the cockpit at the front, an atrium with the lounger and holotable, and the ladder well leading down to the lower deck. The second level housed the bunks and refreshers, one on either side of the room. Continuing down the hall to the cargo bay, the walls were lined with equipment cabinets, a carbonite chamber, and a side door to a room lined with six cages. The cargo bay itself, accessible via a short set of stairs down from the hallway, was fifty feet across not counting the various mechanical bits that sat between its walls and outer plating of the ship. Beun had installed some defensive features into it in case an unlucky combatant were to find themselves inside. Two turrets on either wall near the door sat eight feet off the floor behind a cap flush with the surrounding durasteel. At a simple keystroke, the floor could be electrified along the pathways between cargo mounds and the bay itself could be vented by either the standard-open-the-bay-door method or a powerful fan normally used to vent out sand or snow. Anything smaller than an adult Wookie or a Hutt could also be ejected from the ship via this fan. If they somehow survived all of that plus the bolts from the wall turrets, they’d have to deal with the crew, of which Lyse was first line of defense followed by Fent/Beon (if they were there), then Teika, Beun herself, and No’gan. Goldie might also join the fight although that was unlikely. The strill, it seemed, was far more entertained by combat that he was willing to participate.  
On the whole, the interior of the ship was slate gray with black and chrome accents used sparingly for things like door controls or utility panels. The floors were also grey with deep blue carpet runners in areas like the sleeping quarters or the atrium with the lounger. All the lights projected the same shade of bone white, but other than that and a few onboard trophies Beun collected over the years (like a vintage Gonk droid, a small pyramid shaped object currently propping up the Dejark table, and the vorn tiger skull Lyse often used as an ottoman) the ship was sparsely furnished. The exterior was divided between a deep blue top shell and dark grey plating covering the sides and bottom. Two smaller cannons on either side of the nose cone had been repainted a white to look like small tusks. No one bothered to mention that Beun was probably the only one who saw it that way.  
“I can stay behind,” Noga’n offered to the group assembled in the lounger area, “I know the controls, plus I doubt there’ll be much room to maneuver.”  
“Sounds good to me,” said Beun over the intercom from the cockpit, “Remember, we need to be on high alert. We’re way too close to the core for comfort if you ask me.”  
A round of nods then a few “uh-huh”s.  
“We’ll break up into teams when we get closer,” Beun continued, “for now, we’ve still got another day before we reach it. Best get some rest.”  
“I’ll trade off with you,” said Fent, getting up, “I took a nap earlier.”  
“Alright. Anything else?”  
“I saw a message on the holo,” Maceon said, “Who’s trying to contact us?”  
“Jiik, I think?” offered Teika, “He did say he’d provide more information once we get there.”  
Lyse yawned, “Great. Good. So let's get sleep then yeah? Nothing else to do.”  
Another round of “uh-huh”’s. Everyone was exhausted going from not much to non stop travel. There wasn’t much to do in the ship, and though they were all used to it, the mounting stress from a covert mission near Republic Territory had started to weigh on them.  
Lyse was first to leave the room and a moment later the others heard the sound of metal on metal as she slid down the ladder to the bunks.  
“Don’t wait up,” Beun chuckled, “She’ll be snoring before you all make it down there.”  
Maceon smiled slightly then wiped it off her face when her eyes met Beon’s. He was sitting with his arms crossed and eyes focussed on something distant. She was growing used to this, the new Beon, but she figured he might be due for another conversation. Not that he’d ever been big on them, but after their talk a few nights ago maybe she could get him to open up. Fent wasn’t looking any better. The human was far more on edge than she’d known him to be. Still a wisecracking arsehole, but in between the snark there was something causing him a lot of stress. Jokes aside, maybe there was something between him and Beun. She mentally shook her head and let her shoulders relax as she sat back against the chair. Teika was watching her but trying to make it look like he wasn’t. She didn’t mind him, he seemed like a solid fighter, but it was a little unnerving.  
“I’ll help you with the ladder,” said Fent, waiting for Noga’n to get up from his seat.  
“Thanks,” he nodded, then glanced over his shoulder at Teika, “You coming?”  
The Zabrak nodded slowly, meeting Maceon’s gaze for a moment.  
“Right behind you,” finally said, grabbing his helmet from atop the crate beside him, “Want to hit the refresher first anyways.” 

“You’ll need to tell him at some point,” said Beon as he handed her a protein bar.  
“What’s to tell?”  
Beon raised an eyebrow. Maceon shrugged.  
“If you’re referring to my preferences that’s hardly something to discuss with an acquaintance,” she countered, “Besides, Beun said he was part of a traditional warrior culture before the Hutts took him. Finding a mate...that’s what Zabrak do.”  
Beon shook his head, “I still think you should talk to him.”  
“And what’s that supposed to do?”  
“Maybe keep him from making a fool of himself, despite,” Beon added when he noticed her grinning, “You getting sick enjoyment out of it.”  
Maceon stuck out her lip, “Me? How could you say such a thing.”  
“I mean it,” Beon warned, “Taunting Fent is one thing. You two know each other. Teika is… struggling.”  
“What do you mean?”  
Beon shrugged, “He watched his brother get eaten by Tuk-ata, watched the warriors he grew up with become overwhelmed and mentally destroyed by slavery. This,” Beon spread his fingers, “being a Mandalorian. It’s like what he had before but with so much more freedom. I don’t think he knows what to do with it.”  
Maceon frowned, “He seems fine with Fent and the other one.”  
“Noga’n, yeah, well he tends to gravitate toward people with strong personalities, it lets him take a backseat.”  
“How noble of him,” she frowned deeper, “Seems more like a follower than a leader to me.”  
“Who said he ever was? He was young when they took him. Probably hadn’t even had his rite of passage.”  
“Is that an excuse?”  
“It’s an explanation.”  
“Is that what you wanted to talk about?” Maceon tossed the wrapper towards the waste bin. It missed.  
“No,” he said truthfully, stooping low to pick it up, “I want to ask you a question. You don’t have to answer, but I just want to know something.” 

“Hey, riduur,” Fent kissed the top of her headgear and slid down into the chair beside her.  
Beun smiled up at him and stretched, “I think I got a second wind for a bit there. I might stay up with you.”  
“Oh?”  
“Yeah,” she smiled but her eyes were begging for sleep.  
Fent was used to this, used to Beun pushing herself a little bit farther than she should.  
“How about,” he offered, getting up and turning one of the side chairs around from its console, “You take a nap here where you can still see me, can still talk to me if you want to, but won’t have to do anything. You need rest, cyare.”  
She snorted slightly and her eyes drooped even further as she held out her arms. Goldie hissed but didn’t interfere with Fent taking her under the arms and leading her to the chair. He strapped her in once she was situated, handed her one of the emergency blankets, and kissed her forehead.  
“Get some sleep,” he whispered.  
She smiled like a drunk and nodded before patting her lap and pulling the blanket over herself. Goldie climbed up on top of her and curled up behind her like a leathery pillow; she sank into him with a satisfied smile and immediately began to snore.  
Lyse was also a snore-fest by the time Noga’n and Teika were in their bunks. Despite several holo journals advising against it, Lyse was a back sleeper. As a result, one lekku was always hanging over the side of her bunk and the other was either crushed beneath her shoulder or up against the wall. How she managed to survive without any sort of permanent damage, no one knew, but it was the only way she got any sleep. Sometimes Beun would reach across her and free the crushed lekku; tonight it was Teika’s turn. He’d gotten good at it and it didn’t seem to affect her ability to sleep. Noga’n went straight for his earplugs in his medicine pouch, and they did a decent job blocking out Lyse’s nighttime orchestra so he had no trouble drifting off to sleep. Both he and Teika were out within the hour. 

Maceon studied him for a moment, “Okay..what is it?”  
“Why did you want to come on this mission?”  
She shrugged, “Why not? Beun and I haven’t done anything together since…”  
Beon looked up from his mug, “Since what?”  
Maceon met his eyes and smiled weakly, “Nat.”  
“Right,” he nodded, sitting back against the counter beside her, “I... didn’t know her well.”  
“Guess not, she was older than you, older than Beun.”  
“Than you?”  
Maceon shook her head again, “If we’d been sisters, blood sisters, we’d be twins.”  
“Is that why,” he tapped his left breastplate.  
She looked down at hers, at the pink handprint. Her fingers slid over the painted ones as if to grasp them, to grasp her.  
“Yeah.”  
Beon set the mug down on the counter and thought for a moment as if his next words would intrude on something private.  
“Jiik, he said he’s still looking for her,” he began slowly, watching her expression to make sure he didn’t overstep, “Are you?”  
Her eyes met his again, inscrutable for probably the first time in her life.  
“No,” she lied, at least, Beon thought it was a lie but he still nodded politely and backed off. She sighed.  
“Beon, you know you’re like a brother to me.”  
“But?”  
She smiled, “But, sometimes you can get a little nosey.”  
He smiled back, probably the first real smile in weeks, “Sometimes I don’t think people are nosey enough.”


End file.
